Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability of a Supplemental Environmental Assessment, 32676-32677 [2017-14921]

Download as PDF 32676 Notices Federal Register Vol. 82, No. 135 Monday, July 17, 2017 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. APHIS–2017–0046] Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability of a Supplemental Environmental Assessment Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments. AGENCY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a supplemental environmental assessment (EA) relative to an oral rabies vaccination field trial in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. The supplemental EA analyzes expanding the field trial for an experimental oral rabies vaccine for wildlife to additional areas in New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. The proposed field trial is necessary to evaluate whether the wildlife rabies vaccine will produce sufficient levels of population immunity against raccoon rabies. We are making the supplemental EA available to the public for review and comment. DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before August 16, 2017. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods: • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0046. • Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2017–0046, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. The supplemental environmental assessment and any comments we receive may be viewed at https:// asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:45 Jul 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0046 or in our reading room, which is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799–7039 before coming. This notice and the supplemental EA are also posted on the APHIS Web site at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ regulations/ws/ws_nepa_ environmental_documents.shtml. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Chipman, Rabies Program Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, Concord, NH 03301; (603) 223–9623, email: richard.b.chipman@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies of the supplemental environmental assessment, contact Ms. Beth Kabert, Staff Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Services, 140–C Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, NJ 08867; (908) 735– 5654, fax (908) 735–0821, email: beth.e.kabert@aphis.usda.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperates with Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private individuals to research and implement the best methods of managing conflicts between wildlife and human health and safety, agriculture, property, and natural resources. Wildlife-borne diseases that can affect domestic animals and humans are among the types of conflicts that APHIS–WS addresses. Wildlife is the dominant reservoir of rabies in the United States. Currently, APHIS–WS conducts an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program to control the spread of rabies. The ORV program has utilized a vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein (V–RG) vaccine. APHIS– WS’ use of the V–RG vaccine has resulted in several notable accomplishments, including the elimination of canine rabies from sources in Mexico, the successful control of gray fox rabies virus variant in western Texas, and the prevention of any appreciable spread of raccoon rabies in the eastern United States. While the prevention of any appreciable spread of raccoon rabies in the eastern United States represents a major PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 accomplishment in rabies management, the V–RG vaccine has not been effective in eliminating raccoon rabies from highrisk spread corridors. This fact prompted APHIS–WS to evaluate rabies vaccines capable of producing higher levels of population immunity against raccoon rabies to better control the spread of this disease. In 2011, APHIS–WS initiated a field trial to study the immunogenicity and safety of a promising new wildlife rabies vaccine, human adenovirus type 5 rabies glycoprotein recombinant vaccine in portions of West Virginia, including U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service National Forest System lands. The vaccine used in this field trial is an experimental oral rabies vaccine called ONRAB (produced by Artemis Technologies Inc., Guelph, Ontario, Canada). To further assess the immunogenicity of ONRAB in raccoons and skunks for raccoon rabies virus variant, APHIS–WS determined the need to expand the field trial into portions of New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia, including National Forest System lands. On July 9, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 40322–40323, Docket No. APHIS– 2012–0052) a notice 1 in which we announced the availability, for public review and comment, of an environmental assessment (EA) that examined the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed field trial to test the safety and efficacy of the ONRAB vaccine in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. We announced the availability of our final EA and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) in a notice published in the Federal Register (see footnote 1) on August 16, 2012 (77 FR 49409–49410, Docket No. APHIS– 2012–0052). On July 17, 2015, we published in the Federal Register (80 FR 42467–42469, Docket No. APHIS–2015–0047) a notice 2 in which we announced the availability, for public review and comment, of a supplemental EA that examined the potential environmental impacts associated with expanding the 1 To view the notice, the comments we received, the EA, and the follow-up finding of no significant impact, go to https://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0052. 2 To view the notice, the supplemental EA, and the FONSI, go to https://www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D= APHIS-2015-0047. E:\FR\FM\17JYN1.SGM 17JYN1 asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 135 / Monday, July 17, 2017 / Notices field trial to additional areas in Ohio and increasing bait distribution density in portions of West Virginia. We announced the availability of our final EA and FONSI in a notice published in the Federal Register (see footnote 2) on September 17, 2015 (80 FR 55826– 55827, Docket No. APHIS–2015–0047). In 2017, there were two confirmed cases of raccoon variant rabies 8–10 km (5–6 miles) west of the established V– RG ORV zone in Ohio (approximately 20 km [12 miles]) east of the city of Canton, OH). To address this emergency, APHIS–WS proposes to shift the existing ORV zone in Ohio in an effort to contain the outbreak and to secure the zone. ONRAB vaccine-baits will be distributed in this revised portion of the ORV zone. APHIS–WS is also proposing to add Webster, Braxton, Nicholas, Wyoming, McDowell, Upshur, Barbour, Harrison, Lewis, Tyler, Ritchie, Doddridge, Wetzel, Taylor, Marion, Monongalia, and Preston Counties in West Virginia so that ONRAB vaccine-baits may be applied to the western edge of the ORV zone in West Virginia to provide added confidence in the seroconversion rates based on results from previous field trials. This will provide an opportunity to improve serological sampling spatially throughout the zone as part of an increased monitoring initiative. Finally, APHIS–WS is proposing to expand the field trial zone in New York into Oswego County. The current ORV ONRAB zone in New York includes Jefferson County, which shares a border with Oswego County. Current ONRAB bait distribution occurs very close to the Oswego County border and including this county will allow APHIS–WS to opportunistically distribute any remaining excess baits while collecting additional serological data to further assess the field trial. APHIS–WS has prepared a supplemental EA in which we analyze expanding the area of the field trial zone in New York, Ohio, and West Virginia. We are making the supplemental EA available to the public for review and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice. The supplemental EA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the reading room). In addition, paper copies may be obtained by calling or writing to the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:21 Jul 14, 2017 Jkt 241001 The EA has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372). Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of July 2017. Michael C. Gregoire, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 2017–14921 Filed 7–14–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration United States Standards for Lentils Correction In notice document 2017–14803, appearing on pages 31550–31551 in the Issue of Friday, July 7, 2017, make the following correction: On page 31551, in the table titled ‘‘607 GRADES AND GRADE REQUIREMENTS FOR DOCKAGE-FREE LENTILS’’, in the tenth row, in the fourth column, the entry ‘‘<4.0’’ should read ‘‘>4.0’’. [FR Doc. C1–2017–14308 Filed 7–14–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 1301–00–D DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE U.S. Census Bureau Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual Wholesale Trade Survey U.S. Census Bureau, Commerce. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on or before September 15, 2017. ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 32677 Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at PRAcomments@doc.gov). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions should be directed to Susan Pozzanghera, Economy-Wide Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau, (301) 763–7169 or via email at ewd.annual.wholesale .trade.survey@census.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract The Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS) covers employer firms with establishments located in the United States and classified in wholesale trade sector as defined by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). This sector include distributors, manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, as well as agents and brokers. Firms are selected for this survey using a stratified random sample where strata are defined by type of operation, industry, and annual sales size. The sample is drawn from the Business Register (BR), which is the Census Bureau’s master business list containing basic economic information for over 7.4 million employer businesses and over 22.5 million nonemployer businesses. The BR obtains information using direct data collections and administrative record information from federal agencies. The AWTS sample is updated quarterly to reflect business ‘‘births’’ and ‘‘deaths’’ by adding newly established employer businesses and deleting companies when it is determined they are no longer active. The AWTS introduced a new sample for 2016. The Census Bureau requested two years of data from all sample firms in order to link the old and new samples, ensuring that the published estimates continue to be reliable and accurate. The 2017 AWTS and subsequent years will request one year of data until a new sample is selected again in five years. The 2017 AWTS will also collect detailed business expenditure items and sales tax data, in response to a request for this data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). These data items are collected on the AWTS survey in years ending in 2 and 7, which coincide with the economic census collection. The AWTS data is collected electronically using the Census Bureau’s secure online reporting instrument (Centurion). This electronic system of reporting is designed to allow E:\FR\FM\17JYN1.SGM 17JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 135 (Monday, July 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32676-32677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14921]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 135 / Monday, July 17, 2017 / 
Notices

[[Page 32676]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0046]


Oral Rabies Vaccine Trial; Availability of a Supplemental 
Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared a supplemental environmental assessment 
(EA) relative to an oral rabies vaccination field trial in New 
Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. The supplemental 
EA analyzes expanding the field trial for an experimental oral rabies 
vaccine for wildlife to additional areas in New York, Ohio, and West 
Virginia. The proposed field trial is necessary to evaluate whether the 
wildlife rabies vaccine will produce sufficient levels of population 
immunity against raccoon rabies. We are making the supplemental EA 
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
August 16, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0046.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0046, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    The supplemental environmental assessment and any comments we 
receive may be viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0046 or in our reading room, which is 
located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure 
someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 before coming.
    This notice and the supplemental EA are also posted on the APHIS 
Web site at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regulations/ws/ws_nepa_environmental_documents.shtml.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Richard Chipman, Rabies Program 
Coordinator, Wildlife Services, APHIS, 59 Chennell Drive, Suite 7, 
Concord, NH 03301; (603) 223-9623, email: 
richard.b.chipman@aphis.usda.gov. To obtain copies of the supplemental 
environmental assessment, contact Ms. Beth Kabert, Staff Wildlife 
Biologist, Wildlife Services, 140-C Locust Grove Road, Pittstown, NJ 
08867; (908) 735-5654, fax (908) 735-0821, email: 
beth.e.kabert@aphis.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wildlife Services (WS) program in the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) cooperates with 
Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private individuals 
to research and implement the best methods of managing conflicts 
between wildlife and human health and safety, agriculture, property, 
and natural resources. Wildlife-borne diseases that can affect domestic 
animals and humans are among the types of conflicts that APHIS-WS 
addresses. Wildlife is the dominant reservoir of rabies in the United 
States.
    Currently, APHIS-WS conducts an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) 
program to control the spread of rabies. The ORV program has utilized a 
vaccinia-rabies glycoprotein (V-RG) vaccine. APHIS-WS' use of the V-RG 
vaccine has resulted in several notable accomplishments, including the 
elimination of canine rabies from sources in Mexico, the successful 
control of gray fox rabies virus variant in western Texas, and the 
prevention of any appreciable spread of raccoon rabies in the eastern 
United States. While the prevention of any appreciable spread of 
raccoon rabies in the eastern United States represents a major 
accomplishment in rabies management, the V-RG vaccine has not been 
effective in eliminating raccoon rabies from high-risk spread 
corridors. This fact prompted APHIS-WS to evaluate rabies vaccines 
capable of producing higher levels of population immunity against 
raccoon rabies to better control the spread of this disease.
    In 2011, APHIS-WS initiated a field trial to study the 
immunogenicity and safety of a promising new wildlife rabies vaccine, 
human adenovirus type 5 rabies glycoprotein recombinant vaccine in 
portions of West Virginia, including U.S. Department of Agriculture 
Forest Service National Forest System lands. The vaccine used in this 
field trial is an experimental oral rabies vaccine called ONRAB 
(produced by Artemis Technologies Inc., Guelph, Ontario, Canada).
    To further assess the immunogenicity of ONRAB in raccoons and 
skunks for raccoon rabies virus variant, APHIS-WS determined the need 
to expand the field trial into portions of New Hampshire, New York, 
Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia, including National Forest System 
lands. On July 9, 2012, we published in the Federal Register (77 FR 
40322-40323, Docket No. APHIS-2012-0052) a notice \1\ in which we 
announced the availability, for public review and comment, of an 
environmental assessment (EA) that examined the potential environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed field trial to test the safety and 
efficacy of the ONRAB vaccine in New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, 
Vermont, and West Virginia. We announced the availability of our final 
EA and finding of no significant impact (FONSI) in a notice published 
in the Federal Register (see footnote 1) on August 16, 2012 (77 FR 
49409-49410, Docket No. APHIS-2012-0052).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ To view the notice, the comments we received, the EA, and 
the follow-up finding of no significant impact, go to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0052.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On July 17, 2015, we published in the Federal Register (80 FR 
42467-42469, Docket No. APHIS-2015-0047) a notice \2\ in which we 
announced the availability, for public review and comment, of a 
supplemental EA that examined the potential environmental impacts 
associated with expanding the

[[Page 32677]]

field trial to additional areas in Ohio and increasing bait 
distribution density in portions of West Virginia. We announced the 
availability of our final EA and FONSI in a notice published in the 
Federal Register (see footnote 2) on September 17, 2015 (80 FR 55826-
55827, Docket No. APHIS-2015-0047).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ To view the notice, the supplemental EA, and the FONSI, go 
to https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D= APHIS-2015-0047.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In 2017, there were two confirmed cases of raccoon variant rabies 
8-10 km (5-6 miles) west of the established V-RG ORV zone in Ohio 
(approximately 20 km [12 miles]) east of the city of Canton, OH). To 
address this emergency, APHIS-WS proposes to shift the existing ORV 
zone in Ohio in an effort to contain the outbreak and to secure the 
zone. ONRAB vaccine-baits will be distributed in this revised portion 
of the ORV zone.
    APHIS-WS is also proposing to add Webster, Braxton, Nicholas, 
Wyoming, McDowell, Upshur, Barbour, Harrison, Lewis, Tyler, Ritchie, 
Doddridge, Wetzel, Taylor, Marion, Monongalia, and Preston Counties in 
West Virginia so that ONRAB vaccine-baits may be applied to the western 
edge of the ORV zone in West Virginia to provide added confidence in 
the seroconversion rates based on results from previous field trials. 
This will provide an opportunity to improve serological sampling 
spatially throughout the zone as part of an increased monitoring 
initiative.
    Finally, APHIS-WS is proposing to expand the field trial zone in 
New York into Oswego County. The current ORV ONRAB zone in New York 
includes Jefferson County, which shares a border with Oswego County. 
Current ONRAB bait distribution occurs very close to the Oswego County 
border and including this county will allow APHIS-WS to 
opportunistically distribute any remaining excess baits while 
collecting additional serological data to further assess the field 
trial.
    APHIS-WS has prepared a supplemental EA in which we analyze 
expanding the area of the field trial zone in New York, Ohio, and West 
Virginia. We are making the supplemental EA available to the public for 
review and comment. We will consider all comments that we receive on or 
before the date listed under the heading DATES at the beginning of this 
notice.
    The supplemental EA may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site 
or in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for instructions for 
accessing Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of 
the reading room). In addition, paper copies may be obtained by calling 
or writing to the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    The EA has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) 
APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of July 2017.
Michael C. Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-14921 Filed 7-14-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
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